The New York Mets have a generational star in Jacob deGrom.
The 33-year-old, who has spent his entire pro career with New York, is a two-time Cy Young Award winner, four-time All-Star, and one-time ERA champ.
As soon as he broke into the big leagues, it was clear how special he was, as he earned Rookie of the Year honors in his first season at the big-league level.
Since then, he has put together some outstanding campaigns, and today, we’re going to rank his three best so far.
Let’s get started.
3. 2021 Season
deGrom’s most recent season was absolutely phenomenal from a statistical standpoint.
Unfortunately, it was injury-riddled.
The righty was only able to make 15 starts, which makes it hard to justify putting his 2021 season any higher on this list than No. 3.
Still, it’s entirely deserving of making the cut and being recognized.
deGrom was lights-out and virtually untouchable when he was on the field in 2021.
He maintained a tiny ERA of 1.08.
That mark wasn’t a fluke, either, as he backed it up with a 1.24 FIP.
He also posted an unfathomable WHIP of 0.55, meaning he allowed roughly one base-runner every two innings.
Jacob deGrom, Mean 100mph Fastball…and Sword. ⚔️
[Probably sword of the week] pic.twitter.com/u1bTYpHV3W— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 9, 2021
At one point in the season, he went on a remarkable stretch in which he didn’t allow a run in five straight starts.
Wild stuff.
deGrom finished the season with a bWAR of 5.0.
Had he been healthy all year long, he likely would have posted a bWAR in the ballpark of 10.8.
2. 2019 Season
deGrom became a two-time Cy Young Award winner in 2019.
It was a dominant season for him, as he posted a 2.34 ERA across 32 starts.
He complemented that mark with a 169 ERA+, 2.67 FIP, and 0.97 WHIP.
The superstar led the league in strikeouts, as he fanned 255 batters in 204 innings.
He finished the season with a 7.9 bWAR.
In addition to winning Cy Young honors, he took home an All-Star selection and landed in 10th place in the NL MVP race.
Jacob deGrom, 2019 Highlights. pic.twitter.com/2gF1ivw7vk
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) November 6, 2019
A season like deGrom’s 2019 campaign would be a career year for virtually every other pitcher in baseball, but in his case, it comes in No. 2 on the list.
Let’s see which season takes the top spot.
1. 2018 Season
deGrom’s 2018 season was historically good.
He registered one of the lowest single-season ERAs since the turn of the century with a 1.70 mark.
That was a league-best clip, and he also lead the league in each of the following categories:
- ERA+ (218, or 118 percent better than league average)
- 1.98 FIP
- 0.4 home runs allowed per nine innings
More on that last note: deGrom allowed 10 home runs in 217 innings.
It was virtually impossible to take this guy deep in 2018, which was one of the biggest reasons he was able to put together such a crazy season.
Looking ahead, the hope is that injuries won’t plague deGrom’s 2022 season.
All MLB fans — especially folks who root for the Mets — would love nothing more than to see this guy on the mound for the entirety of next season.
When he’s healthy, he’s one of the most exciting guys to watch in all of baseball.
NEXT: Taijuan Walker's 2021 Season Was A Tale Of Two Halves
